Bring Herbs Indoors To Spice Up Your Winter

January 03, 1986|By Charles A. Levine.

With autumn, the season of garden fresh herbs ends. Sure, we can dry some for winter`s use, but fresh herbs are so much more subtle in flavor. (When using fresh, one should remember to use approximately one tablespoon for each teaspoon of dry called for in a recipe.)

But the arrival of winter needn`t mean an end to the use of fresh herbs. Many of those most commonly used, such as chives, parsley, rosemary, mint, sage and myriad others, adapt quite well to being grown indoors, provided they get enough light. In addition to their usefulness in cooking, herbs are highly ornamental. Several varieties of the common garden sage, for example, have highly exotic foliage. The tricolor sage (Salvia officinalis `Tricolor`) has leaves highlighted with pink, white and gray.

The scented geranium (Pelarogonium sp.) has long been regarded for its interesting, tiny flowers and its use in potpourri. It comes in a variety of fragrances, with one to please most everyone. Examples include almond, apple, coconut, mint, cinnamon, ginger, lemon, rose, nutmeg and strawberry.

Unfortunately, we are not all lucky enough to have a sunny window on which to grow our ``winter herbs.`` With the use of artificial lights, though, anyone can grow a wide variety of herbs in any room of the house. With artificial light, the plants can be assured a full day`s sunshine and are thus often healthier than those grown on a sunny windowsill.

To begin an herb garden under lights, one must first select the light fixtures. Many types of lights are available for indoor use. Plant lights, such as Gro-Lux and Vita-Lite, provide a spectrum of light wavelengths plants need. These expensive set-ups, fortunately, are not required for our purposes. Any two-tube fluorescent combinations of ``cool-white/warm-light`` will do. A simple shop light can be purchased at any hardware or discount store for $14 to $20 and will provide excellent results. The fixture can be hung from a bookshelf, under a kitchen cabinet, beneath a table or in any convenient place.

Once set up, a variety of herb plants can be grown. The foliage of the plants should be approximately 4 to 6 inches from the light tubes. Should they need to be closer to the lights, use inverted flower pots or bricks to set the plants up higher. For best results, the lights should be kept on for a minimum of 14 to 16 hours each day. An inexpensive electric timer can alleviate the hassle of turning the lights on and off each day.

Further information on herbs and light gardening can be found in any one of many excellent books on the subject. I recommend the ``Time-Life Encyclopedia of Gardening Book on Herbs,`` by the late James V. Crockett and Ogden Tanner, and ``Gardening Under Lights,`` by Wendy B. Murphy.

Indoor light gardening has become so popular that several indoor light gardening societies have sprung up in the Chicago area. These include the local chapter of the Indoor Light Gardening Society of America, 3625 McCormick Ave., Brookfield, 60513; the Lake Michigan Lights, 1217 Forest Ave., Evanston 60202; and the Windy City Rebels, 5944 S. Francisco Ave., Chicago 60629. The national headquarters can be contacted by writing: Indoor Light Gardening Society of America Inc., in care of Diane Wagner, Rt. 5, Box 76, East Stroudsburg, Pa., 18301 (annual dues, $5). The society publishes an excellent magazine, ``Light Garden,`` for artificial light gardeners.

So now it is time to relax and enjoy the changing of the season. When out collecting herbs from the garden, consider bringing some indoors for winter use. You needn`t always dig up the entire plants--as several, such as mint, rosemary and oregano, are easily propagated from cuttings. Any good herb book, such as those previously mentioned, will tell you how. Set up your light garden and enjoy!

Here is a partial list of herbs most suitable for light garden culture: